Thank y'all for the comments, I read them and I can't tell you you'll got some clarifications here and like it, because, of course, Marinette is not the only one to blame. Not at all.

Chapter summary:

Marinette and Adrien are now stronger together, and both of them are ready to remind Su-Han that he did have made some mistakes from the beginning.


"You're the only constant in my life, Marinette. Ladybug always had been for Chat Noir, and you always had been for Adrien. That's why it all made sense that you're both the same wonderful person. That's why I love you. I meant it and I still mean it; I'm in love with you."

Ladybug blinked, tears pooling again in her eyes. Her lungs felt empty of their vital oxygen, and her throat burned while she desperately tried to catch a breath; the lump that made its home there definitely refused to go away.

"Why…" Her voice was barely a strangled sob. "Why are you t-telling me all t-this… when I'm going to f-forget everything!"

"Because I WON'T let it happen." Chat Noir—Adrien stood up, taking both her hands in his, helping her to get back on her feet. "It's you and me against the world, M'Lady."

"When I'm not stupidly pushing you away or dumping you in the trash..." Her hand flew to cover her mouth, her eyes widening. "Oh my god! I dumped Adrien freaking Agreste in the trash!" She looked away, turning back to him. She was divided between feeling guilty or sad for the situation she got them in. "Another spectacular failure of mine."

"You're anything but a failure," said Chat Noir, and she could hear the soft smile in his voice without even seeing him. She felt his hand grabbing her shoulder, forcing her to turn around and face him again, before drawing her in his arms. "We got this. I promise" he murmured, pulling back just a little to look her straight in the eyes. His free hand moved, brushing some damp locks away from her face.

His hand lingered over her wet cheek, the soft touch sending shivers down her spine. Their eyes locked and she suddenly felt safer than she'd ever been in a long time.

"Can I kiss you?" The words fell out of Ladybug's lips, straight from her heart.

The corners of her partner's mouth stretched into his perfect signature smirk. "Is it your way to ask me to seal that promise?" His sly grin only grew wider as he held her close to him, their bodies still pressed against each other. His hands then reached up, cupping her face ever so gently, and he slowly leaned in. When their lips met, it was the evidence; as clear as day. Together, they were invincible. They could overcome this. This and everything else; anything standing in their way.


When they slowly broke apart, breathless, the rain around them had started to gradually calm down. The damp, earthy scent of the after rain lingered in the air, mingling with Ladybug's sweet perfume. Chat's senses were filled by his partner being; from smell, to touch, and even to taste… An overwhelming feast for his sensitive cat's senses. He wasn't sure his heart could handle much more, yet it had too; he needed to get himself back together and stand strong for her.

"We got this," Chat Noir renewed his statement, tone confident.

"We got this," the heroine repeated, her forehead resting against his. "But how?" she asked, her voice still heavy with uncertainty.

"You trust me?" he inquired, tone serious.

"I do trust you with my life on a daily basis. How could you still doubt it?" Ladybug objected, her pitch raising.

He smiled at her; her words were music to his ears, echoing straight inside of his heart.

"Here." He slid his hand in hers, intertwining their fingers, and dragging her behind a wall. "Plagg, claws in." He closed his eyes at the bright flash of green light and when he reopened them, he still found Ladybug standing there. "What are you waiting for? You need to detransform too."

Then he realized why she was rooted on the spot; she was flushed, and if it weren't for the spots on, he wouldn't know where her mask began and ended.

"It's still plain old me, M'Lady. Your goofy partner. Do you want me to pun and prove it?" Adrien inquired, a sly grin that belonged to Chat Noir's face popping on his lips.

"Oh, no please, don't!"

Adrien chuckled, which caused Ladybug to snort. It felt good to hear her laugh so innocently after all the trials they had overcome these last months, and especially today.

"So… you really want us to face Su-Han without our masks, don't you?"

"I think he'd be more likely to listen to us if we showed up vulnerable. No masks to hide behind, no superpowers, simply us."

"And no baton to threaten to fight with him," she cocked an eyebrow before eventually whispering the words that would allow her transformation to drop off.

"I don't need any weapon to fight for you, Purrincess," he purred, winking at her when she reopened her eyes, and she blushed deep red.

Smiling softly, Adrien moved closer, his hand finding and grabbing hers, gingerly intertwining their fingers. "Ready to stand for the best Ladybug ever?"

Marinette huffed, "She wouldn't be any of that without you."

"That's… not wrong." He smirked, wiggling his brows, before resuming his seriousness. "We're a team; we complement each other and no one will ever take this from us," said Adrien, his voice assertive.

"Adrien is right, Marinette." Chewing a macaron, Tikki floated in front of her holder. "You're a team. The Ladybug and the Black Cat are always stronger together and if anything can make a difference today, it's that special bond you both have and the trust you place into each other."

Marinette joined her hands together, inviting Tikki to rest in her palms while they were having this conversation.

"Do you really think that we can get Su-Han to change his mind?"

"You underestimate my boy, pigtails." Plagg also snuck in her hands, sitting next to Tikki with a piece of Camembert—both Tikki and Marinette winced at the smell. "Words are his strong point. Just as strong as the taste of this aged piece of delicate Camembert," he stated. "If anyone can do it, it's him."

"Both of you," Tikki added with belief.

"You'll see. We can do it, M'Lady," said Adrien, his voice soft and reassuring. Tugging at Marinette's hand, he dragged her on the other side of the wall, back where Su-Han left them. The monk soon made his second appearance of the night, raising a skeptical brow when he saw both teenagers standing there.

"I see that you are able to carry out an order when you want to," the Celestial Guardian stated. He made a little appreciative 'hum', glancing at their joined hands and the way they held onto each other with all their might. "There was at least one thing Wang Fu was not wrong about."

"I'm sorry to contradict you, but I think there was more than one." Adrien was ready to give Su-Han a piece of his mind. "First, without Marinette, you wouldn't be here. Should I remind you that she saved your sorry celestial-butt from a destroyed temple in Tibet? You did not. Your super trained-monks did not. Nobody on earth has done it. She did–She, a fourteen year-old teenage girl who beat a century-old Sentimonster with two fingers up her nose. Well, more like ten fingers in his stomach, but whatever. She did succeed."

Marinette's grip on his hand tightened and he titled his head, looking at her. Her cheeks were flushed again, but the spark in her eyes and her shy smile spoke volumes; she was grateful. Eventually taking her eyes off him, she looked up at the monk, her smile growing confident.

"We did succeed; Chat Noir's cataclysm was indispensable," she stated.

"So was her Miraculous cure; we're a team."

"Besides, with all due respect…" The small voice was that of a tiny red shape that showed up on Marinette's shoulder. Tikki smiled awkwardly, clearing her throat before she spoke again. "I can say they are a team that has never failed to protect Paris; the citizens always relied on them and still rely on them. They trust them and they proved it again tonight," she added matter of factly.

Adrien smiled slyly; Tikki was right and had just given him the opening he was looking for. "They would be terrified if they found out that their beloved Ladybug and Chat Noir were replaced. Can you imagine the uncertainty this would create in their minds? It would be the perfect doorway for our enemy to play with their fears. Do you really want to take the risk of having a bunch of people under his control while dealing with two inexperienced holders who don't even know what to do?"

Su-Han stood serious, looking at them, back straight and jaw clenched. His lack of reaction was a clear indication that he had just been caught off guard by their speech. His jaw relaxed, then clenched again as if he was about to say something, but didn't really know what. Eventually, he made the same scowl once again before he finally said something.

"Keep going." It wasn't much, but at least he kept listening to them; it was a good start…

"We never failed our duty as heroes. Of course we missed some communication skills, which put us in a bit of a bind sometimes, but we've always been able to bounce back, and as you can see, we're still up to work our best on it; we're willing to make every needed effort or sacrifices to put things right… I'm taking full responsibility with Marinette for what happened today, and I promise we'll get the Miraculouses back, one by one, until the very last." He already made that promise to his partner and would make it to every single person on earth if he needed to.

"And, what if you don't?" Su–Han still gave them that same stern pitch and doubtful glare.

"We'll leave it up to you," Marinette announced, taking a step closer to him and puffing her chest with pride. "If you'll really want me to, I'll relinquish the guardianship, the Miraculouses; everything if we fail again."

"But they won't!" Plagg suddenly huffed just in front of Su-Han's face. It was the little black cat's turn to show up and protest, standing for the two heroes.

"We won't," Adrien repeated, moving forward, standing by Marinette's side. "We won't because you're going to do what you should've done months ago; helping us."


Next and last part tomorrow. (It was just supposed to be a short one shot which grew 3 parts...) I'm not sorry at all, because I really like the results. Feel free to leave your opinion in a review.

Miraculous Kisses.